Believers worshiping together on a Sunday morning. A believer wondering how to cope with a cancer diagnosis. A ruling elder and teaching elder conducting a membership interview. A common thread behind these distinct moments is Christian life. Kelly Kapic sees these as moments in which Christians are called to respond to the love of God in Christ.

In “Christian Life” (Zondervan Academic, 2025), the latest volume of the “New Studies in Dogmatics” series, Kapic seeks to provide a theological account of Christian life. Kapic is a professor of theological studies at Covenant College. His work is likely familiar to byFaith readers of this publication, as he is the author of a number of books, including, the recent award-winning book “You’re Only Human.”

“Christian Life” is a book for those who are interested in an in-depth theological account of Christian living. Kapic addresses this essential topic under the authority of Scripture and by drawing deeply from the long history of theological reflection on this topic. His thesis is “Christian life is a response to the love of God” (27). Beginning with this thesis, Kapic develops an account of Christian life over more than 300 pages.

The book is divided into four parts. Part One provides a rationale for the volume and discusses some of the guiding assumptions of the work. Part Two outlines the love of our Triune God as the foundation for Christian life. Here, Kapic devotes a chapter to each of the theological themes of love, grace, and fellowship. 

This section points to how Christian life is at once Trinitarian and Christ-centered. Kapic emphasizes how love, grace, and fellowship “point to the three divine persons and the work of the one God. Christians are those who enjoy the love of the Father through the grace of the incarnate Son in the fellowship of the Holy Spirit” (27). Here, I particularly appreciated Kapic’s chapter on grace and specifically his discussion of Christ as mediator “representing God to us and us to God” (109). 

Part Three provides a discussion of the law–gospel distinction as a segue to discussing the Christian’s response to the love of God. Here, Kapic points to both the negative and positive dimensions of the law. He notes that, rightly understood, the law is not the basis for earning salvation, but it nonetheless calls forth the effort that union with Christ by the Spirit enables.

Part Four examines the Christian response to the love of God in four chapters. Kapic devotes chapters to the Messiah (Christ) and ego (the self), and two chapters to ecclesia (the church). Kapic emphasizes the centrality of the institutional church in Christian life. 

The Christian life reflects and is shaped by the general practices found in corporate worship throughout the history of the church. Kapic acknowledges widespread distrust toward institutions in general and toward the church in particular. He also points to the fear many Christians, even beyond low-church evangelicals, have toward ritual. Though he acknowledges elements of these concerns as legitimate, Kapic nonetheless explicitly points to the significance of the institutional church and rituals for Christians.

Among its many strengths, there are two specific strengths of the book worth highlighting.

First, Kapic is insistent throughout that Christian life is not understood in simply an individualistic way. Yes, he acknowledges that each person must respond in faith to the love of God in Christ. But he points to how faith, in uniting us to Christ, also joins us to Christ’s body, the church. 

This focus on the corporate nature of Christian life is even found in the title of the book. The book is titled simply “Christian Life,” not “The Christian Life” or “A Christian Life,” in light of Kapic’s judgment that these alternative expressions might be understood in individualistic ways (30). Kapic consistently challenges a “me and Jesus” approach to Christian life, wisely pointing to the way that union with Christ unites believers to each other.

A second strength of this volume is Kapic’s considerable interactions with the thought of figures throughout the history of Christian theology. Throughout the book, Kapic dialogs with theologians from throughout the history of the church. Three figures that are especially prominent in this discussion are Augustine of Hippo, John Calvin, and John Owen. For instance, Kapic extensively explores Augustine’s Trinitarian thought in his discussion on the love of God. 

The way Kapic incorporates voices from church history is a wonderful aspect of this book.

In coming to the book, readers should be aware of methodological considerations. 

First, as a part of the “New Studies in Dogmatics” series, “Christian Life” reflects the aims of this series, to “fill the gap between an introductory theology textbook and an advanced theological monograph” (13). Readers should not be surprised to find terms like “ad intra” or “theanthropic” in the body of this text. In our distracted time, I hope many readers will persevere with such serious reading, but readers should know at the outset what kind of book this is.

This brings us to a second methodological aspect of the series and this book. Kapic presents “a catholic theology of Christian life” which believers from various Christian traditions share in common (41). While Kapic acknowledges that his Reformed commitments will inevitably shape his discussion, this book aims to present Christian life in a way that all Christians can recognize. Kapic gives the topic of “calling” as an example of a debated theological topic that the book is not seeking to decisively “settle” (41). 

Readers should be aware of this broad approach to the topic of Christian life. Kapic himself acknowledges that some readers will wish for a more narrowly Reformed approach, while others will feel he is governed by a Protestant and Reformed vision of Christian life (41). Kapic ultimately envisions follow-up volumes based on his overall approach that work out a vision of the Christian life with reference to a distinctive theological tradition. I would love to see a follow-up volume that aims to provide a distinctly Reformed vision of Christian life.

Kapic’s “Christian Life” is a good book. It is learned, but is also much more than that; it is pastorally wise and alert to the contemporary challenges facing the church. Ultimately, all conversations about following Christ as Christians are connected to the theological themes found in this book. “Christian Life” is a deeply practical subject, and Kapic’s book will enrich the church’s consideration of it. Take up and read.

Dr. Ryan Reed is the assistant pastor at Trinity Presbyterian Church in Providence, Rhode Island.